


Hungry For Mr. Mellark

by eiramrelyat



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Holidays, Older Man/Younger Woman, single dad Peeta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:23:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28779729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eiramrelyat/pseuds/eiramrelyat
Summary: Katniss goes home with her best friend, Madge, for the holidays, and somehow her friend's dad turns out being the highlight of her Christmas break. This can't end well.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Comments: 17
Kudos: 79





	Hungry For Mr. Mellark

**Author's Note:**

> The banner was created by the lovely mrspeetamellark on Tumblr if you want to go and show her some love💗. She also helped me come up with the title for this fic!

Katniss watches her best friend's dad from her spot at the kitchen island, slightly mesmerized by his strong hands kneading into a lump of cookie dough. When he digs the heel of his palm into the mixture, the muscles in his arm contract, and his shoulders strain against his slate grey t-shirt. Her mouth practically waters at the sight. 

She still couldn’t wrap her head around how a woman hasn't put a ring on his finger yet. Madge had failed to answer that question when she asked.

He laughs at something Madge says, and his bright blue eyes crinkle in the corners, a charming smile spreading across his face. She is so caught up in watching Mr. Mellark that she doesn't hear the question Madge asks until both Madge and Mr. Mellark turn their eyes on her.

Warmth spreads across her cheeks from having Mr. Mellark's gaze directed on her, and Katniss offers Madge a reluctant smile. "Um, sorry, what?"

Madge giggles. "Were you not listening to anything I said?"

Leave it to Madge to embarrass her further. "Er, sorry, I was still thinking about our chemistry final." This isn't entirely a lie, not really. Although, she stopped worrying about finals two days ago after becoming wholly consumed by the handsome man standing on the other side of the counter. 

He is hot, and she was doomed the moment she walked through Madge's front door.

Her friend rolls her eyes. "Katniss, you are the biggest nerd I know. I'm sure you did better than half of the class. Plus, Seneca seemed to have a sweet spot for you." 

Katniss scowls. "He did not." She glances over at Mr. Mellark, who watches them with amusement.

"Anyway," Madge continues, "I was just telling Dad that I'm pretty positive I walked in on Dr. Mason trying to get it with Marvel after class on Friday. No one believed me because Marvel never seemed like the type to hook up with a professor. You were there with me, remember?"

"Oh, uh…"

"Is my daughter speaking nonsense, Katniss?" Mr. Mellark asks, and her heart gallops at the sound of her name smoothly rolling off his tongue. It doesn’t matter how many times he’s said it since she’s been there; her body still becomes annoyingly aware when it happens.

She licks her lips. "Well, I wasn't in the room. I was waiting outside, so I can't say."

Madge snorts. "Bullshit, you saw how flustered Mr. Do Gooder was when he rushed out of the room."

"Madge," Mr. Mellark scolds. 

"Dad, I'm turning twenty in two months. I'm not twelve," Madge says and leans forward to pinch off a piece of dough that her dad has been working on. "Plus, Katniss has said worse."

Katniss's eyes widen before she glares at her friend, blushing furiously. "Thanks," she snaps, inadvertently making eye contact with Mr. Mellark, who merely raises an amused eyebrow.

"I have a hard time believing that," he says in mild disbelief.

"Believe it, dad. Katniss has quite the potty mouth." Then Madge smirks. "Especially that time with Ga—Ouch!" 

She kicks Madge’s foot to stop her from talking about Katniss's sex life in front of Mr. Mellark. He was the last person she wanted to give that information to, unless… Suddenly, she couldn't stop thinking about Mr. Mellark and sex, and the blush spreading down her neck now had less to do with embarrassment. 

He gives them a curious look before wiping his hands on his apron, and then he reaches into a drawer by his hip to pull out a rolling pin. "How about we finally make some sugar cookies?"

Madge rubs her foot, shooting Katniss a frown before stepping off her stool. Her friend limps around the island to wash her hands in the sink, but Katniss stays put. Baking isn't a strong trait of hers, and she doesn't feel like embarrassing herself in front of a baker—in fact, he is a _very_ good baker. She’s never had so many delicious home cooked meals, and she fears that she’s gained a couple of pounds in the span of a few days.

Mr. Mellark notices her hesitation. "Are you not going to join us, Katniss?"

Katniss shakes her head and blushes. "I don't think you want me in the kitchen Mr. Mellark."

A genuine smile spreads across his mouth. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Peeta?" Mr. Me—wait, no—Peeta reaches into another drawer and pulls out an apron that's covered in a smiling muffin print. "It's Madge's from when she was younger, but I think it should fit you." 

He hands the apron to Katniss over the counter, and Katniss has no other choice but to grab it. 

She moves the neck strap over her head and ties the strings around her waist. Katniss feels silly in the child's apron and flushes when Peeta smiles at her. She washes her hands then stands in the empty spot beside him.

"Dad, can you hand me the stocking cookie cutter?" 

Peeta reaches across Katniss, where an assortment of cookie cutters lay in a scattered pile, and he's close enough that the pleasantly faint scent of cinnamon and nutmeg greets her nose. He digs through the pile until he finds the one he's looking for, and then the intoxicating smell evaporates as he pulls away.

"Here you go, kid." 

"Dad," Madge whines at the nickname.

Peeta chuckles. "Sorry, habit. But you will always be my kid."

Katniss stands there awkwardly, watching the exchange between father and daughter, unsure how to make herself useful until Peeta slides a sheet of rolled out cookie dough in front of her. 

"Here you go." He places a sheet pan between them as well. "And when you're finished, place them on the pan."

"Thank you." She gives him a small smile, which he returns.

"Your welcome."

Katniss grabs a candy cane cookie cutter and begins cutting into the dough in front of her. After a few cookies, her heavy sleeves from her sweater fall into the flour on the counter, creating a mess that spreads down her front and across the counter. 

Madge laughs. "Katniss, the flour is for the cookies." Her face just might become permanently red by the time she leaves the Mellark’s residence.

Peeta grins, embarrassing her further, but he doesn't laugh. "Here, let me help you," he tells her. "Hold out your arms."

She does as he asks, holding her arms out for him to roll up her sleeves. Katniss feels heat pool low in her belly when his fingers brush against her skin.

"There," he says with a smile, and she quickly drops her arms when he's done before he notices the goose flesh that erupted across them. "That should keep them from getting dirty." Then he turns back to his heap of cookie dough. 

Katniss nods absently and returns to cutting out shapes, heat still brewing in her belly.

"You know," Madge chimes, "dad gives cooking and baking classes at the bakery. Maybe he'd be willing to give you one for free at the house."

He looks over to Katniss. “I have a few lessons for beginners that we can easily do here.”

“Hmm,” she hums. It is an innocent suggestion, really, but all Katniss could think about is Peeta, flour, and strong hands gripping her waist as he takes her against this counter—

"Katniss?" 

Madge pulls her from her little daydream, and Katniss looks down to find a squished candy cane cookie in her hand. Her friend laughs, and Katniss wishes for the floor to open under her and swallow her whole. Though, from the corner of her eye, she notices Peeta looking down at his cookies, his cheeks noticeably pink.

They finish cutting out their cookies, and Peeta places the sheet pans in the preheated oven. Before Katniss gets the apron off over her head, Madge grabs her by her sleeve and pulls her into the living room.

"Come on, Katniss. We are going to miss the best thing about the holiday season."

Katniss curls into the corner of the comfy leather couch while Madge plops down beside her and turns on the television.

"I thought Christmas break was the best thing about the holiday season," she half-hearted jokes, still affected by her imagination throwing images of her and Peeta together in the kitchen. 

"No, silly!" Then Madge turns on a stop-motion Christmas movie. "It's the Christmas movies."

"I thought you would have said my cooking." Peeta walks into the living room, free of his apron, and sits on the other side of Madge.

"Well, yeah, that too," Madge tells him, rolling her eyes. "But you already know that."

Together they watch the corny Christmas movies, and the house steadily fills with the smell of sugar cookies, making Katniss's mouth water. She is a bit hungry but doesn't want to dig through her friend's dad's refrigerator and cupboards like a hungry animal. 

Though, her stomach betrays her when it rumbles loud enough for Madge and Peeta to hear.

"If you're hungry, all you had to do was ask," Madge tells her, poking her side.

Peeta stands up from the couch, stretching. Katniss glimpses a hint at a happy trail as his shirt shifts up before it settles back into place. This only festers her imagination, and she squeezes her thighs together to ease the ache there.

"I can make you something,” he suggests. “I need to take the cookies out of the oven, anyway."

"Okay," Katniss tells him sheepishly, standing up to follow him into the kitchen.

“Dad, can you make me one too?” Madge calls out from the living room as Katniss walks away.

“Sure, kiddo,” he says, and Katniss hears Madge make a sound of annoyance from the other room.

Peeta pulls the cookies out of the oven, sets them on cooling racks on the counter, then starts grabbing items from the refrigerator—his arms a makeshift basket of ingredients. He places everything on the counter and begins assembling their sandwiches.

Katniss leans against the counter next to Peeta, distracting herself from the butterflies in her stomach by watching his handiwork.

Peeta grabs a mason jar that holds a salmon-colored dressing, then spreads a dollop on one of the deli rolls. "What's that?" she asks, slightly hesitant about the color and texture of the condiment.

Peeta glances over at her and smiles. "I think you'll love it. I call it Mellark Sauce."

This makes her laugh, easing her nerves a little. "Very original."

"Don't laugh until you try it." 

He runs a finger along the lid of the jar, and then he holds it up to her face. 

She looks up at him, faltering. Did he really want...No...

His mouth quirks up. "Come on. You’ll like it. I promise."

Katniss cautiously takes his finger into her mouth, watching his face as she does so. When the taste of something sweet—but also spicy—meets her tongue, she can't help but release a small moan. Her eyes flutter closed from the explosion of flavor on her tongue. Then she flicks it against the tip of his finger to get every bit of the sauce. But she quickly realizes her mistake. 

Katniss quickly opens her eyes to search Peeta's face. His were trained on her, bright blue turning dark and lidded. And to make matters worse, his finger is still nestled between her lips and lightly pressing against her tongue. She flushes and pulls away to apologize.

"Uh, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to...that was very inappropriate of me," she's rambling because she doesn't know how to fix the situation she has suddenly found herself in.

He runs a hand through his curly blonde hair and releases a harsh breath. A light pink tinge stains his cheeks under his short layer of stubble, and after being so bold only seconds before, he gives Katniss a sheepish smile. "No, you're fine. I, uh, did you like it?" 

She blinks. "Um, it was good,” Katniss says slowly, and when she goes to lick her lips, Peeta watches the movement.

"Good," he repeats, sounding breathless all of a sudden. They're quiet for a moment, then, "I'll, uh, be right back. You can leave the mess, I'll pick it up later," he tells her.

Next, he's rushing out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Then she hears the sound of a door closing further down the hall.

Katniss feels a tell-tale scowl pull at her face, mentally berating herself for the stunt she just pulled. How could she lick his finger like a popsicle and expect him to be okay with it after? Now things are going to be...well, things will be somewhat uncomfortable for the next week. Not to mention that Peeta feels that he needs to hide in his own home.

Her scowl deepens. Stupid tastebuds... And hormones, because those were part of her problem too.

The unfinished sandwich still sits on the counter, tempting Katniss. Hence, she takes it upon herself to make it and put everything away.

And as she walks back into the living room, she decides that she’s going to make it her mission to get laid before she does something stupid like sleep with her best friend’s dad. Because that definitely can’t happen... 

Right?

**Author's Note:**

> Find eiramrelyat on [Tumblr](https://eiramrelyat.tumblr.com)
> 
> Comments and kudos are lovely🧡💚


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